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A race record 6,360 finish the country’s largest women-only 13.1-mile race despite rain

NEW YORK – (April 25, 2010) – An April downpour soaked Central Park but did little to dampen the spirits of more than 6,300 finishers at the 7th More® Magazine | Fitness® Magazine Women’s Half-Marathon on Sunday morning.

Sally Meyerhoff, 26, of Scottsdale, AZ, broke the tape in an event record time of 1 hour, 14 minutes, 40 seconds. Meyerhoff, the reigning USA 25K champion, overtook early leader Colleen De Reuck, 46, of Boulder, CO, near the nine mile mark. De Reuck, a four-time Olympian and the reigning USA 20K champion, who has a half-marathon personal best of 1:08:38, finished second in 1:16:26. She was treated for hypothermia by the NYRR medical team following her finish and made a full recovery.

“I felt really good out there today, and the support from all the other women was amazing,” said Meyerhoff (left, NYRR), who competed in a blue running skirt and wore her red hair in pigtails. The course is two-plus loops of Central Park; the lead runners are cheered on by the walkers and slower runners whom they pass during their second loop.

The top finishers received their awards – which included cash prizes and Crislu jewelry – from Kristin Davis of Sex and the City, the event’s celebrity spokesperson. Meyerhoff got a roar of approval from the crowd when she exclaimed “I love Sex and the City!” as she accepted her award.

Despite the challenging conditions, the event had a record 6,360 finishers; registration had closed in February due to overwhelming demand. The temperature was 47 degrees at the 8:00am start, with a driving rain that continued through mid-day. Most participants wore water-resistant rain gear and, in many cases, plastic garbage bags.

“What can you do?” said Kathryn Martin, 58, of Northport, NY, who finished seventh in 1:28:46 (third master). “You couldn’t dodge the raindrops, you couldn’t jump the puddles. And knowing that many of the women would be out there for three or four hours inspired me – I wasn’t going to drop out.”

“Races like today are character-building,” said Betty Wong, editor-in-chief of Fitness magazine, who finished in 2:03:40. “In spite of the crazy weather, all of us came out, we ran and we had a great time.”